The US FDA has approved reslizumab (Cinqair, Teva Pharmaceuticals), a monoclonal antibody for adults with severe asthma who keep having attacks despite treatment with other medications.

It is indicated as an adjunct to other asthma drugs for patients 18 years of age and older whose condition is linked to elevated eosinophils, a type of white blood cell that can cause airway inflammation.

Reslizumab reduces severe asthma by lowering blood levels of eosinophils. The FDA estimates that roughly 1 in 20 patients with asthma have a severe and often uncontrolled version of the illness with an eosinophilic phenotype, despite maximum therapy.

Patients receive reslizumab every 4 weeks by intravenous infusion in a clinical setting prepared to manage anaphylaxis.